Hierarchical Leadership Structural Supports †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Hierarchical Leadership Structural Supports. Answer: Introeduction: I have found that there have been many concerns about the effectiveness of conducting virtual meetings. Thus, I want to have a quick discussion on the some of the critical areas that needs consideration while managing and leading virtual teams. Here, I must mention that virtual teams have become the norm of most of the organizations operating globally. To be precise, I believe close to around 66 percent of the multinational companies relies on virtual team management for meeting the challenges of the geographical expansion, ensure cost savings and meet the increasing demand for the flexibility in workplace (Aiken, Gu and Wang 2013). However, the critical areas that need attention while leading and managing a virtual team include: Building Of a 24X7 Work Cycle: I believe that the different time zones are a complication but if we think differently, it is also an opportunity for increasing the efficiency of working around the clock (Hoch and Kozlowski 2014). Moreover, greater attention while delegating work will help in overcoming the conflicting deadlines and language barriers. Facing the Unexpected: At some point, there might be a technology failure due to either poor internet connection or the malfunctioning of software. In such cases, you will have to be prepared with either a Plan B or Plan C that can be in the form of dial-in numbers (Fan et al. 2014) Maintenance of Clarity: I believe that the presence of a virtual team often blurs the boundaries of the responsibilities. One can handle this situation by ensuring specific actions to each member after every meeting. Holding Accountability: It is also necessary to create a climate for peer-to-peer accountability that will help in building a sense of trust amongst the teammates (Keil, Lee and Deng 2013). Otherwise, this might leave room for concerns and ambiguity that might not be voiced. Thus, there should be smart handling following a bottom up approach involving everyone. Nurturing Emergent Leadership: Emergent leaders are critical for ensuring innovation. However, when dealing with a virtual team the leaders and the team members should have a shared understanding and sense of acceptance (White 2014). Although, emergent leadership helps in generating positivity but it is important to remember that it leads the internal coercion and burning out caused by the imbalance of the workload. Spotting Differences in Culture: To understand the background of every teammate a critical step needed for the establishment of successful collaboration amongst virtual team members (Verburg, Bosch-Sijtsema and Vartiainen 2013). I believe that expectations significantly vary when it comes to the balancing of informal and formal communication. This is also true in dealing with issues like individualism, perception of time and power distance relationships. For ensuring effectiveness, it is necessary for to use the available tools for making cross-cultural comparisons. I believe that with the consideration of the above critical areas there will be greater effectiveness in leading and managing the virtual teams. Therefore, it not only supports the success of the multiple employees but at same time helps in developing newer capability in terms of the organization. References: Aiken, M., Gu, L. and Wang, J., 2013. Task knowledge and task-technology fit in a virtual team.International Journal of Management,30(1), p.3. Fan, K. T., Chen, Y. H., Wang, C. W. and Chen, M. 2014. E-leadership effectiveness in virtual teams: Motivating language perspective.Industrial Management Data Systems,114(3), 421-437. Hoch, J.E. and Kozlowski, S.W., 2014. Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership.Journal of applied psychology,99(3), p.390. . Understanding the most critical skills for managing IT projects: A Delphi study of Keil, M., Lee, H.K. and Deng, T., 2013IT project managers.Information Management,50(7), pp.398-414. Verburg, R.M., Bosch-Sijtsema, P. and Vartiainen, M., 2013. Getting it done: Critical success factors for project managers in virtual work settings.International journal of project management,31(1), pp.68-79. White, M., 2014. The management of virtual teams and virtual meetings.Business Information Review,31(2), pp.111-117.